Drying rack



C. A. FOX

DRYING RACK March 7, 1944.

Filed Deo.

Patented Mar. 7, 1944 UNITEDr STATES PATENT OFFICE ummm RACK 4Charles Allin Fox, Oakland Village, M0. Application December 1o, 19'42,seria1.N0. 458,463

sclaims.

i This invention relatesgenerally-to drying racks 'and more specica-lly to drying racks for laundered articles, the predominant object of the invention being to provide a rack` of Vthis 4description which is particularly well adapted for' use in basements and other locations infhomes; ats, and apartments where space is limited and Where the maximum hanging space for vlafunuiererl ar ticles is desired.

' As is quite Well known to the average individual, it has been the usual practice heretofore for persons living vin homes,- ats; and apartments, who desired to dry laundered articlesv indoors, lto string clothes lines ordinarily in the base-ments of the structures inwnich they lived, for supporting the laundered articles while 4samevvvere drying. Such strung clothes linesiusua'lf-ly ywere quite a nuisance inasmuch las they were in the Way if permittedV to remain up'in their strung condition permanently lso that they' interfered with' movement of persons and articles about `the basement, and if they were put upior each drya ing operation and were taken down vafter the dry;

ing operation, considerable Workwasinvolved.

The predominant object ofthe Ypresent invention, therefore, is t'o provide a drying rack which is so characterized `that it may lremain lperriianentlr-v in place at all times and when' not'in use maybe caused to assume la non-operative 4vcoric'iition um.

Where the rack occupies the 'minimum' of'space and where said rack is in an out-o'flthe-Way position, for instance adjacent to a Wall, whereit will not interfere in any 'manner with movement up between 'theY elongated bars and the tra'ckway that would, in che absence of such mangiate;- fere with free sliding movement ofthe bars with respect to the trackway if .the Vbars,.should'be displaced from theirproper positions relative -to the trackway.

Fig. lisa plan view of the improved Vrack with head; Iin assembled the :supporting-'brackets thereof shown insection.; 'l Y 'v Fig. 2.isA a front elevation ofpthe improved rack :showing same supported by jo'istsof a lbuild'- ring; 'such' joists and associated jo'ists being shown insection. w

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentaryfsection taken online 3 3 of Fig. 2. l

Fig.. 4 is a fragmentary sectionftaken online Fig. 5r is a fragmentary section taken "on line 5;5of1ig.'3.` l Fig. 5 is afragmentaryperspective with por'- tionsshcwn' in section and illustrating a'bar of the improved rack; together with its associated relation with the traokway of the rack.` i I l l Pig. '7 is a cross-section of the improved rack 'on' a reduced scale-showing'the Vbars thereofin their nonoperat'ive positions and illustrating vthe protective covering Yfior the bars in its effec-l tive'pestion.

:on in@ drawing, wner'eiin -is'shfown for the pur pose of illustration, "merely one embodiment of the invention, A designatestne improved dry-ing rack generally. The rack A includes a trackway 'i which is located aft'one side ofthe rack,I 'said trackw'ay comprising 'a"pairof elongated `chan'- riel members 'la and Ib which are spaced apart in a vertical direction With the channels thereof open toward each other as shown to good advantage in'Figs 4 and 6. The channel'm'embersmay bemade from Wood orany other 'suitable mate'- rial and they are secured to vertically' disposed brackets said lbrackets*being shown in'Figs.l 1 y zports. yAt the opposite *end or the rack'A an elongated supporting member tjis provided, and this supporting member is Vsupported invspaced and' approximately alined relation with respect to the trackway i., as shovvn in Figs. 1 and 2, brackets 4 which are secured to said supporting member 3 andto a joist J. "Supported by )hetrackway i ing member 3, forslidingmovement with respect thereto, is a plurality `oielongated bars 5 which may be made from wood or any other suitable material. At the -.ends of the elongated bars .5 at .which vthe trackway "I, is located, eachof said vbars is provided Withahead t which issupported bythe trackway for, slid-ing movement longitudinally thereof. v'h' e..heacl-of veach elongated bar and the support-'- com-prises a block of wood, or other suitable material, of rectangular shape, whose upper and lower edge portions are disposed for sliding movement in the channels of the channel members Ia and Ib of the trackway I. Each head 6 has formed therethrough a centrally located opening 1, said opening preferably, though not necessarily, being of circular shape and the Wall thereof being shaped so that the opening is of slightly greater; diameter at the opposite sides of the head thana't the transverse center of said head (see Fig. 5).

Each elongated bar 5 is pivotally attached to noted that an end portion of each elongated bar i 5 extends through the opening I of its associated head 6 and that the pivot pin 8 is extended loosethereof in order to remove an intermediately positioned bar, as would be the case if the cutout portion I 4 were not provided. It is to be noted that the widths of the heads 6 are greater than the heights thereof, and therefore it is not possible for a user to introduce the heads into the trackway I in improper positions where the pivot pins 8 would be disposed horizontally, this being so because the greater widths of the heads Wouldfnot `permit the heads to be passed into the channels` ofv theA trackway in such improper po sitions.

- When the improved drying rack disclosed here- Nin is not in use the elongated bars 5, together Vwith their associated heads 6, are pushed toward the rearV ends of the trackway I and the supporting member 3- into closely grouped relation where they occupy'relatively little space and where ly through an opening 9 formed through such end portion of the bar with the opposed end portions of the pivot pin seated in similar and alined openings IU formed in opposed upper and lower portions of the head 6. Preferably, though not necessarily, the opening I0 in the lower portion of the head 6 is closed at its bottom in order to properly support the pivot pin 8, each elongated bar and its associated head being pivotally assembled by forcing the pivot pin downwardly through the opening I0 in the upper portion of the head, through the opening 9 formed through the bar 5, and into the opening I0 in the lower portion of the head until the lower end of the pivot pin is seated against the bottom wall of said lower opening I0. As is shown to the best advantage in Figs. 3 and 6, the elongated bars 5 are so disposed that the pivot pins 8 thereof extend vertically through the bars fromI one to the opposite angular edge thereof, andalso, at the horizontally opposed angular edges of the bars,rsaid bars are tapered, as indicated at II, to.v provide for free pivotal movement about the pivot pins without interference from the walls of the openings 1 of the heads 6.

At the end of the improved rack opposite to the end thereof at which theftrackway I is located, theelongated bars are supported by the supporting member 3 for sliding movement longitudinally with respect thereto, said bars overhanging said supporting member as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Also, in order to provide the rack structure with the required stability and rigidity a pair of tie rods I2 are employed, said tie rods extending between and being fixed to the brackets 2 at one side of the rack and the supporting member 3 at the opposite side of the rack.

A; The heads 6 of the elongated bars 5 are prevented from becoming displaced from the trackway I'at the opposite ends thereof by pins I3 which are supported in openings formed in the top and bottom solid portions of the channel members la and Ib and which extend between said channel members, said pins providing stops which arrest sliding movement of said heads adjacent to the extreme ends of the trackway. Additionally, the upper channel member Ia of the trackway I is provided with a cutout portion I 4 that is located at the approximate longitudinal center of said channel member. This cutout portion I 4 is so shaped and is of such dimensions that an elongated bar 5 `may be removed from or assembled with the trackway I by passing the head 6 of the bar through said cutout portion. Because of this arrangement it is not necessary to remove several of the elongated bars 'from the trackway I at the forward or rear ends they are located above the heads of persons moving about in the basement or room in which the rack is located. VWhen the bars 5 are arranged inv such'non-foperative positions they are protected from dust bythe protective covering I5 shownto the `,best advantage in Fig. 7. The protective covering comprises a sheet of suitable fabric which is of only slightly less width than the lengths of the bars 5 and is secured at its rear edge to the rearmost bar 5, said sheet of material being provided at its free end with a rod I6. When the Abars 5 are in their non-operative positions the protective covering I5 overlies said bars and hangs downwardly from the forward barlto prevent dust from settling on the bars from above. Y When, however, it is desired to use .the rack the protective covering I5 is thrown rearwardly` where it hangs downwardly from the Irearmost bar 5, as shown in Fig. 3, and ,the bars are spaced apart as desired to receive the laundered articles, said articles being draped over said bars so that no pins or other fastening devices are required.

An extremely important feature of the invention `resides in the fact that the elongated bars 5 are pivotally attached to the heads 6. As a result of this pivotal arrangement, displacement of the bars from their normal rectangularly extended positions relative to the trackway I will notcause a binding action to be set up between the heads 6 andthe channel membersl la and I b lof the trackway I which would interfere with free sliding movement of the heads with respect to the trackway, as would be the case if the bars were rigidly fixed tothesheads and they became so displaced. i

Iclaim:

, 1. A drying rack for laundered articles including a trackway comprisingl a pair of channel members arranged in vertically spaced relation with thechannels thereof facing each other, a plurality of independent heads having opposed upper and lower portions disposed in the channels of said channel members whereby said heads are supported bysaid trackway for independent sliding movement longitudinally thereof and with respect to each other, a plurality of horizontal bars each one of which is associated with one of said heads, vertically disposed pivot pins which are `disposed in `openings formed in portionsof said bars and portions of said `heads for pivotally attaching together the respective associated bars and heads, and a supporting member spaced from said trackway for supporting said bars for'sliding movement longitudinally thereof, said heads and the bars associated therewith being-movable to closely grouped positions to collapse the structure and being spaced apart for use of the structure.

2. A drying rack for laundered articles including a trackway having opposed channels, a plurality of heads supported by said trackway for guided sliding movement longitudinally thereof with portions of said heads slidingly disposed in said channels, each of said heads having an opening formed therethrough, a plurality of horizontal bars each one of which is associated with one of said heads with an end portion of each bar extended through the opening of its associated head, a vertically disposed pivot pin associated with each associated head and bar so that said pivot pin engages portions of said head and a portion of said bar to provide for pivotal movement of said bar with respect to said head, and a supporting member spaced from said trackway for supporting said bars for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

3. A drying rack for laundered articles inclucling a trackway comprising a pair of channel members arranged in vertically spaced relation with the channels thereof facing each other, a plurality of heads having opposed portions disposed in the channels of said channel members whereby said heads are supported by said trackway for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, each of said heads having an opening formed therethrough, a plurality of horizontal bars each one of Which is associated with one of said heads with an end portion of each bar extended through the opening of its associated head, a vertically disposed pivot pin associated with each associated head and bar so that the pivot pin engages portions of said head and a portion of said bar to provide for pivotal movement of said bar with respect to said head, and a supporting member spaced from said trackway for supporting said bars for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

4. A drying rack for laundered articles including a trackway comprising a pair of channel members arranged in vertically spaced relation with the channels thereof facing each other, a plurality of heads having opposed portions disposed in the channels of said channel members whereby said heads are supported by said trackway for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, each of said heads having an opening formed therethrough, a plurality of horizontal bars each one of which is associated with one of said heads with an end portion of each bar extended through the opening of its associated head, a vertically disposed pivot pin associated With each associated head and bar so that the pivot pin engages portions of said head and a portion of said bar to provide for pivotal movement of said bar with respect to said head, the uppermost of said vertically spaced channel members of said trackway being provided with a cutaway portion through which said heads may be passed to associate said heads with er remove said heads from said trackway, and a supporting member spaced from said trackway for supporting said bars for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

5. A drying rack for laundered articles including a trackway comprising a pair of channel members arranged in vertically spaced relation with the channels thereof facing each other, a plurality of heads having opposed portions disposed in the channels of said channel members whereby said heads are supported by said trackway for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, each of said heads having an opening formed therethrough, a plurality of horizontal bars each one of which is associated With one of said heads with an end portion of each bar extended through the opening of its associated head, tapered portions formed on the end portions of the bars which are extended through the openings of the heads associated with said bars, a vertically disposed pivot pin associated with each associated head and bar so that the pivot pin engages portions of said head and a portion of said bar to provide for pivotal movement of said bar with respect to said head, and a supporting member spaced from said trackway for supporting said bars for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

CHARLES ADIN FOX. 

